Going Dutch

09 June 2003 ~ 20:25

Mum overslept so we just got to Gatwick Airport by the skin of our teeth in time to check in and board the plane. It was a short fifty-minute flight, so the flight attendants barely had time to hand over the airline magazines before they came around collecting them again.

Saturday was a lovely day. We stopped off on our way to the hotel in a coffee shop, the same one Mark and I had visited in February. Mark bought four pre-rolled joints and smoked one of them, with my mum having a few drags as well. We then dropped off our bags at the nice modern Hotel Smit before embarking on leisurely stroll around the area, including the lovely Vondelpark. We then walked to a little bar, one from our last visit that had two resident cats, mother and daughter. I was pretty exhausted by then, but it was a very long walk and I was glad to get back to the hotel to relax.

The next day mum and I headed down for our buffet breakfast, leaving Mark to continue sleeping. When we got back to the room, it was thundering and lightning and the rain was coming down in torrents. Good job all three of us had packed our brolleys! Mark woke up and decided he could use a coffee so we went back down and visited the Van Gogh restaurant and by that time the rain had eased off a lot.

We took a long 75-minute canal cruise, went for a beer, shopped and visited another 'den of iniquity,' where I was surprised that, despite all the potheads lounging around in the back of the caf�, Mark was made to remove his cap. Seems even cannabis smokers have high standards! After sitting down to a fish'n'chip dinner (minus the fish for me), it was time to head back to Centraal Station to catch our train to the airport.

Amsterdam is definitely a great city and mum was very impressed. I'm sure we'll go again. Try keeping Mark away!


Stored nuts | Future acorns